Fiber to the premises/business/home (i.e., FTTx) provides broadband data-transfer technology to the individual end-user. FTTx installations, which are being increasingly deployed throughout the world, are making use of innovative, reduced-cost system designs to promote the expansion of the technology. For example, fiber may be delivered in the last link by way of a microcable. Air-blown fibers provide another efficient model for delivering the link to the end-use terminus. There continues to be industry-wide focus on modes of deployment that overcome economic obstacles that impede fiber-based broadband solutions for data transmission to businesses and residences.
Cost-effectiveness is important, of course, for achieving successful FTTx systems. Reduced size for cables, drops, and structures for blowing is often critical, too. Installation of conduits suitable for traditional cable designs is often prohibitive in existing infrastructure. Thus, existing small ducts or tight pathways have to be used for new fiber installations. Low-cost and reduced-size requirements are driving optical-fiber cables away from conventionally robust and bulky cable designs.
Copper conductors have been incorporated into fiber optic cables of a stranded-tube cable design. In such a stranded-tube cable design, one or more tubes containing optical conductors (e.g., optical fibers) may be stranded alongside tubes containing copper conductors or alongside upjacketed copper conductors.
Stranded-tube cables typically have a larger diameter than is desirable for certain applications, particularly where space is limited. Moreover, it is difficult to access all of the optical conductors at a given access point (e.g., for fusion splicing).